The Tower and the Eye
by MacAntonio
Summary: Few people alive know of the shadowed organization known as the Tower. Even fewer have the potential to stop them. Gifted with impossible powers and cursed with a past they can't remember, these GUARDIAN agents must stop the Tower before the world is out of time. They've already failed once. Project: GUARDIAN AU sequel, fanception
1. Prologue

Unknown Location

August - 22

The grey cloaked figure stalked across the scattered sands. The desert winds slicing sand through exposed skin. Though she had never walked this path before, the greycloak walked with surety. Her foot consistently settling half a meter ahead of the last, ignoring the buffeting wind. Each step taken, then forgotten, continuing forward.

The first pause in hours came after she crested a particularly large dune. There, at the bottom of a huge slope of sand, sat an beached cargo freighter. The stacks were broken off, lying at odd angles around it, and even from a mile away, the grey clothed woman could see the shorn metal, torn and disfigured after years of neglect. The grey figure lowered her head, adjusted her face mask, and completed the distance to the tanker.

The inside of the oil tanker was shadowed, the wide cracks along the deck providing a sort of half light to the interior. Heaps of sand piled beneath these gaps in steel, falling inward every time the ship resettled. Otherwise the space inside was devoid of the biting sand that had plagued the desert. The grey figure slowly lowered the face mask, taking her first uninhibited breath today. The sharp shadows cast in dusky light revealed her angled features, and glowing green eyes. While her face held the appearance of youth, her eyes told a different story. Within the green swirls where calm calculation, and ancient wisdom.

The figure glided down the belly of the freighter toward the center. The slightest click of shoes would have echoed throughout the entire ship, but the woman made no sound.

At the core of the ship lay a small pool of water, strangely clean despite the sand piled around it. A small bank of computers surrounded the left side of the pool, while sitting hunched over on the lip was another individual. He wore a light blue t-shirt, with dirty blond hair spilling over his ears, eyes glowing with a dark amber. He looked up and noticed the grey woman, relief spreading immediately over his brow. He stood, about to greet her, but the woman silently raised a finger to her lips. The man swallowed his words, while the woman whispered,

"Hurry, we don't have much time."

The man walked over to the bank of computers. On the panel rested a white mask, orange and blue stripes etching along the surface. The man held the mask in his hands for a moment then whispered back,

"Are you sure about this Tetra? We'll be lighting up a beacon the second this device turns on."

Tetra turned her ancient green eyes toward the pool.

"It's the only way," She murmured.

The man paused again, then nodded, dismissing objections. He slid the mask over his face and slipped into the pool. Water darkened the teal of his t-shirt until his entire body was submerged. All that remained above the surface was the white mask. His breathing shortened to the shallow quiet of someone asleep.

Tetra stepped over to the computer bank and booted it up. On the green lit terminal words flickered up the screen

* * *

LOADING BOOT SEQUENCE. . .

Booting. . .

Loading directory name corrupted from disk

GUARDIAN authentication required...

* * *

A silver needle slid out of the computer's side. Tetra pricked her thumb on it, then waited.

* * *

Authenticated

Compiling Project Ocarina 1%

...

2%

...

3%

…

* * *

The console began it's interminable climb. Whirring as the fans cooled it's aged hardware.

The amber eyed man remained motionless in the pool, the only ripples cause by his soft shallow breath.

Tetra stepped up to the edge of the pool, watching the rippling of water, and for a time there was peace.

It wouldn't last.

After some time Tetra noticed a glint of light flickering in a dark corner of the freighter. There was no visible reaction from Tetra's posture, but her eyes flickered along the water, scanning the reflection for the disturbance.

She found multiple.

Large dark masked individuals, flowing seamlessly between cover. Tetra immediately identified the figures, scythe agents, but already they had surrounded her position.

So she waited.

The dark figures tightened their circle, closing in until there was only open sand between them and Tetra.

Her furtive eyes flicked toward the computer terminal.

* * *

...

74%

…

* * *

She focused back on the water as a large, masked goon creeped up behind her. He slowly approached her right shoulder, closing the distance between them.

His first mistake.

The instant he stepped within arms reach Tetra exploded. She jabbed her elbow back, slamming into the stalkers chest. Feeling ribs give way under the black clothing, she spun around on her toes, turning to face the doubled over figure. With an hooking kick, she swung her left leg around, bashing her heel into the goons temple.

He dropped, the sound of his limp body echoing around the chamber.

Tetra immediately hit the deck, her thin frame sliding behind the cover of the agents body.

A heartbeat after, bullets shredded the air above her.

As the gunshots echoed, Tetra spun on the ground, her legs kicking up a cloud of sand, while her arms flipped her back onto her feet.

Bullets left trails through the clouds of dust, but when it settled Tetra was out of sight. A dozen agents cautiously approached the pool, scanning for any sign of her.

They forgot to look up.

Tetra fell from the sky. Her body curving to land on the agent closest to the pool.

Her foot connected with the agents back, knocking him to the ground. There was a sharp cracking sound as the agent's mask slammed into the ground.

Tetra spun to the agents partner. She threw a quick jab towards the second agent's throat, but when he brought his arms up to block, she transitioned to a grab. Latching onto the agents arms, she pulled him towards her into a side kick. Her foot connected with the agents armored chest, tossing him back onto the ground.

The other assailants broke out of their hesitation and opened fire.

Once again Tetra was quicker. She dove into a roll underneath the gunfire. Sent a kick out at the nearest ankle and felt it give. There was a yelp as another agent fell to his knees.

The agent's adjusted their fire towards Tetra's place on the ground.

So she ghosted.

One moment she was pulling up into a crouch to the left of the pool, completely surrounded by scythemen. The next she grabbing an agent to the far right in a chokehold. Dragging him down to the ground from behind. The was no transitioning movement, no fade or flash of light. Just one moment she was there, the next bullets were skidding kicking up dust and Tetra was somewhere else.

The agent's reacted quicker the second time, sending a scattering of shells towards her, but she was gone. She was suddenly sweeping the legs out from under an agent, then gone. Taking down another with a flying sidekick, then gone. Never for a moment letting the agents find a pattern, a jab here, ghost, kick from the other side, ghost, blow after blow Tetra vanished away. She was jumping so rapidly it seemed like the scythes were fighting an army.

There were 7 agents left

Palmstrike to the back of the neck, ghost away

6 agents left

A lucky bullet grazed Tetra's arm, but the agent in front of her took the rest. Ghost away

5 agents left

Elbow to an agents side, followed by a hard stomp to the back of his calf. Ghost away.

4 agents left

"Surrender or I'll blow his brains out!"

A voice echoed around the chamber.

A scythe agent stood, his rifle trained on the other guardian in the pool, still tranquil and untouched.

Tetra froze, halted in her position just to the right of the terminal.

"Yeah that's right, one move and I'll kill your partner."

Tetra focused on the agent, sensing the other scythes circle around her again. Her eyes flicked to the terminal.

* * *

100%

Launch (y/n)?

* * *

"Get re-" the agent's voice cut off in a gurgle as Tetra flicked her wrist. 2 needles glided out, tiny flashes of light, slamming into the agent in a heartbeat.

The first struck the inside of his right arm. The needle slid into place pinning his flexor muscle and freezing his hand. It would be impossible for him to pull the trigger, his hand simply twitched in place.

The second sliced through the mask, and dug deep into his eye.

Before the needles had even reached their target though, Tetra was diving forward, and tapping y on the keyboard. As bullets ripped through the terminal, the pool flowed a soft blue light, blocking out the flashes of gunfire and flying sparks.

* * *

Launching Project Ocarina...

* * *

The blue light consumed the entire chamber, like a fog of teal, obscuring everything.

Eventually the light faded, revealing an empty pool, and Tetra's broken and bleeding body in the sand.


	2. Broken Peace

Seattle, Washington - United States

october - 11

-27 Years Earlier-

Merida fumed.

Her flaming hair poked out from under the hood of her sweatshirt as she stalked through the pouring rain. Puddles lined the street, pooling in small creeks where the sidewalk met the asphalt.

"S'always bloody raining, stupid Seattle, stupid America," Merida growled under her breath, continuing a murmured string of complaints.

The sky was dark, despite the fact it was mid afternoon. The sun remained a dim white circle obscured by rainclouds. The muted light shown down between the slick buildings and onto the grey cement of city streets and sidewalks. Merida stepped along one of these paths, heading towards the bus stop 4 blocks away. Occasionally a tree shielded her from the rain, but more often than not, all that was between Merida and the elements was a cotton hoodie.

In a violent burst of energy Merida swing her face up towards the clouds.

"Can't you stop raining," she growled, "for just one bloody minute!"

The sky grumbled back with distant thunder. Then began to hail.

"Ahh, come on!"

Merida lowered her hood against the stinging white flecks. Then shoved her hands deeper into her pockets, and began stalking down the sidewalk.

By the time she reached the bus stop, her sweatshirt was completely soaked through. Merida stood next to the sign, trying not to shiver, since even small movements would bring her into contact with new, freezing cold sections of clothing.

Cars pulled by her position constantly, each one sending a slight spray of water onto the sidewalk. With each car Merida' shoes and pant leg became a little less dry. The bus pulled up five minutes late, a short, blue automobile with red seats. Merida stomped up the aisle, flashing the driver her bus pass. She forced past a young man talking on his phone and an old woman reading, not waiting for them to adjust their seating to let her through. Eventually she pulled into an empty seat halfway down the bus, muttering to herself again.

"I come this whole way in the stormin rain, just to hear I'm 'not qualified' not qualified for what! Stocking shelves? What a pile of bull."

Merida slid down in her seat, arms crossed over her chest.

"Could'a told me that in a phone call, idiot."

The old woman sitting farther up the aisle gave a concerned look as Merida continued a series of half-breathed complaints, her voice mostly drowned out by the rumble of the bus and the young, sharply dressed man's conversation.

Eventually the bus came to a stop just a few blocks from Merida's apartment. Merida slid out of her seat and walked back out into the rain.

This area of the city wasn't the definition of pristine. The wet sidewalks were empty. The streams of storm water trailing along the edges of the street were filled with cigar butts, and the brick walls of complexes were graffitied and tagged every few feet. The buildings were packed tightly together, three to four stories each, with narrow alleys in between.

As Merida turned the corner to her street, she noticed something out of the corner of her eye. The man who was talking on the phone had gotten off the bus. He was walking about a block behind her, seemingly still wrapped up in his conversation. His dark grey, collared shirt seemingly out of place on this street.

Merida's breath caught,

 _Did they find me?_ flashed through her mind. Immediately followed by a spike of panic.

 _Don't overreact, it's entirely possible he's just a regular guy,_

Merida kept walking down the sidewalk, _who I've never seen take this bus before, and happened to get off at this stop._

Merida looked out across the street, catching an obscure glimpse behind her. Sure enough, the grey-shirt man turned down her street, exactly a block behind her.

 _And he just happens to live on the same street as me...yeah, right._

Merida saw the entrance to her apartment building approaching, the grey and brown tiled steps had water streaming down. Merida quickened her step, continuing past the glass double doors of her building. She continued past two more buildings. Until she saw a small baby blue Camry parked on the side of the street. Merida peeked at the side mirror as she walked by, checking for the man behind her. Sure enough, he was still exactly a block behind, despite her slightly quickened pace. Merida flicked her eyes back up to the road, searching for an opportunity to lose him.

 _There_ , she thought. Just ahead, a dark haired lady was entering in a code to the door of a building. Merida walked the few feet to the door, pausing as the woman stepped through. Then, as the door swung back, Merida darted forward and stuck her foot in the doorframe. The door bounced off her shoe, and Merida slipped inside closing the door behind her. She immediately pulled away from the door, finding a pillar in the lobby to duck behind. Peeking out from behind a mostly covered position, she could see the outside through the fogged pane in the door. The dark shape of the man following her appeared on the other side of the window. He paused for a moment, looking at the apartment complex nameplate, then continued walking. Merida let out a breathe, then took stock of her surroundings. She was standing in an small lobby, maybe 5 meters across. Two pillars stood square to the doorway, supporting the floors above. To her left were a few seats and a table, and to her right, a staircase. Behind her was a small hallway. There were a few doors leading off of it, then a tan, back exit door at the end of the hall. Merida started towards the back exit, but noticed a faint movement of the handle. Not enough to make a sound, just enough to see the lights flicker off the dented, brass door knob. The handle only moved a centimeter before stopping, then returning to its original position. If she hadn't looked at that exact moment, Merida was certain she would have missed it, and walked right out the back.

 _Too close,_ she thought, backtracking to the lobby, _they're watching these exits, so I'll need another out._

Merida stepped back into the lobby and looked around, the staircase caught her eye.

 _Roof it is then._

Merida quick-stepped up four flights before reaching the roof access door. She pushed it open, and slipped out into the rain. The water was pooled in a tiny lake at the center of the roof. While slick bricks formed a two foot high wall around the edge of the roof. Merida poked forward until she could just see over the entrance side edge. Underneath a tree, holding a newspaper over his head, stood grey-shirt man. Merida ducked down, then cautiously wove her way too the other side of the building. Peeking her head over she saw another man, black slacks and dress shirt, leaning against a alley wall easily within sight of the back entrance. Merida turned right, towards the direction of her apartment. As she approached that edge of the building, she saw the telltale metal guards of a fire escape. She peeked over the edge checking for any suspicious figures. Seeing none, she pulled herself over the wall and onto the fire escape. The gap between the fire escape and the neighboring building was less than 3 meters, easy distance to jump, the difficulty lay in doing it quietly. Merida rolled back into the balls of her feet, feeling the fire-escape shift slightly. With a quick burst of momentum, she took four light steps and leapt across the gap. She landed halfway over the opposing buildings lip, her legs scrabbling for purchase against the wet brick wall. She looked behind her and saw the fire escape shift back and forth for a moment, but thankfully, only made the slightest groan of metal. Merida felt her shoes grip the grooves between the bricks, and she hoisted herself over the edge. She could see two metal vents sticking up from a far corner of the roof, but otherwise, the coast was clear. Merida pulled her feet back beneath her, and stood, keeping her back half bent to avoid eyes from below. She began running across the roof, her steps flowing silently into each other, avoiding the slapping sound one would expect from the thin layer of rainwater coating the roof. As she approached the end of the roof, she transitioned into power. There were five audible footfalls, then a length of silence as Merida glided across the gap between buildings. Her landing was smooth, her feet skidding a bit, but flowing back into the silent rooftop run.

Pat, pat, pat, pat, pat

Silence

A soft thud, then quiet for a minute.

Pat, pat, pat, pat, pat

Silence

The rough sound of shoes scraping against tiles, then quiet.

Merida made the final jump, sliding onto her building. She stood and scanned the familiar area, noting the lack of activity in the alleys. She looked out on the street in front of the building, and saw the top of a black SUV crawling down the street. Merida ducked down, and began moving towards the roof access stairs. She pulled open the door, and sprinted down the steps to her apartment.

She skidded to a stop in front of her door, fumbling in her coat pocket for her key.

She eventually grabbed her key fob, pulling out the keyring. The keys started to make a jingling sound, but Merida's other hand silenced them. She slid her key into the lock, and felt it grate against the mechanism as she unlocked the door. She slid the door open and stepped onto the thin carpet of her entryway. The door closed behind her with a soft click, the sound was oddly loud in the dark and silent room. Merida ducked through the main room, ignoring the light switch next to the kitchenette. She stepped into her bedroom and walked towards her closet. She creeped past her nightstand, around her bed, and by her open window, grabbing the sliding closet door handle.

She hesitated.

Open window...

She hadn't left the window open…

Merida spun around to see a huge, muscled figure emerge from her bedroom door way. The man wore a black tuxedo, his tie bright white on a black dress shirt. He had a red tinged crew cut, and in his right hand was a silver-grey handgun.

He leveled the firearm at Merida, standing with her bed between them.

"The hunter always returns to her den," the man started, a wide grin growing across his face, "isn't that righ-"

The red haired man's voice cut off in surprise as Merida dove onto the bed, rolling to crouched position in front of him. The man shifted his aim, moving his arm to bear on her inhumanly quick form. But doing so brought the gun within arms reach of Merida, and she snatched his arm, shoving it away from her. The man growled and threw a left hook with his other fist. Merida was ready, and bent backwards, moving underneath the punch while sliding off the bed. With her feet on the floor, she used the agent's own momentum to duck underneath his gun arm. She stood back up holding her assailants right arm between her and him, the man between her and the bedroom door. The agent turned his head to face Merida, then suddenly shoved against her with his arm. She tried to duck out of the way, but his arm was rigid as a steel beam, and she couldn't move away while still holding on. He continued to steamroll forward, pushing Merida back until she slammed into the wall behind her. She felt the drywall crumbling behind her head and elbows, as she strained to keep the man from pinning her against the wall. Merida brought up a knee, aiming for the man's crotch. He instinctively brought leg up into a defensive position, blocking her attack. However, that left the red-haired man standing on one foot, and off balance. Merida seized the opportunity, and pushed off the wall with a burst of strength. The man was thrown the the ground, his right arm hit the floor still gripping the handgun. Merida stepped forward and stomped her foot down on his wrist. She felt the bone fracture, the man gasped in pain and released his hold on the gun. Merida reached down to grab it, but felt a pressure on her ankle. The room turned sideways as the man grabbed he leg and pulled Merida off her feet. As Merida hit the ground, breath whooshing out of her, she saw the man scramble onto his knees and dive for the gun. Merida reacted instantly, kicking her foot out and sending the gun skittering into the other room. The man in the tuxedo's eyes tracked the gun into the tiled kitchenette, and he pulled himself to his feet to follow. Merida stood, following half a second behind him. As she approached the doorway to her room, she grabbed a glass of water she had left on her nightstand. With casual aim, she sent the glass hurtling towards the back of the man's head. He noticed the motion out of the corner of his eye, and raised his arms to hide his face. The glass connected with his forearm and shattered, glass shards spinning off across the tiles, leaving bloody trails across the man's skin. Within the moment, Merida crossed the distance between them. Sending a high, snapping kick towards the man, followed by two jabs to his torso. The man blocked the kick, stumbling back and taking the to hits to his gut. Merida followed with a flurry of quick blows, never giving the man a chance to react. The man was pummeled back, holding his arms up to guard his face, slowly losing ground along the tiles. As his back heel bumped the wall something in his eyes changed, he lowered his hands from his face. Merida seized the opening and socked him across jaw. The man took the blow, and looked back with wild desperation in his eyes. His lip swelling up, he sent a left hook at Merida, piling his whole weight behind the blow. The impact caught Merida right along her temple, sending her reeling to the ground. She lay, dazed while the red-haired man pushed himself off of the wall. He stepped forward, eyes wild, "The Tower won't take kindly to this uncooperative spirit Merida," his grin widened, "or should I say, Artemis."

At that name, Merida snapped back into focus. Blurry vision receding behind a headache. She twisted her head to look up, seeing the dark figure looming over her. Her eyes went wide, and she began scooting away, feeling glass shards dig into her hands. As she looked out past the looming figure, about the twinkling of broken glass, she noticed a dark grey gleam.

The handgun,

Her eyes flicked up as the man began stooping to grab her. Merida burst forward, diving under the man's arm. She felt the crunch of glass as she slid across the tiles, her arm reaching for the gun. She sensed the man turning around as she slid by, stretching her arm out until...

She felt the grip of the hand gun beneath her fingers.

With a single, smooth motion, Merida grabbed the handgun, her fingers finding their place along the grip. She swung it around, lifting her torso off the ground. With a continued motion, she lifted the gun to eye level, aimed, and fired. Before her finger brushed the trigger, she already knew the man was dead. For a moment she was all instinct, her muscle memory connecting her eyes directly to the handgun. The trigger depressed, the gun fired, the recoil hit her arm, and the bullet slammed into the man's head. He was killed instantly.

Merida lie still, smooth, too-calm breaths feeding in and out of her. Finally, after a long pause, she scrambled to her feet. Tearing off her hoodie. She threw it against her couch. She didn't have time to bleach the room, and destroy any DNA. The man's associates could be there any backup plan would have to do. Merida rushed to her closet bad pulled out a can of gasoline. She poured a trail from her mattress to the couch, making sure to soak the body and any identifiable items. She then grabbed her bag, already packed with fake ids, bandages, and weapons. She had been ready for this moment every day of the last year and a half, when she would be on the run again, hiding her face. Despite the preparation, she still found herself angry.

 _I tried to lay low, to stay out of sight, and look where it got me._

Merida struck a match from her kitchenette, and dropped it in the gasoline. The flame shot across the ground, setting fire to the body and the bed.

 _If I'm going to be running_ , Merida punched her room's smoke detector as she walked by. It immediately activated and the ringing of alarm bells echoed throughout the building, _I might as well be the hunter._

Contemplative, Merida paused and pulled a small, hand sketched face from her bag, studying it while the flames licked the furniture around her.

This was all she remembered, a face. It was of a young man with brown, tousled hair, sharp, bright green eyes. He was saying something as he held a white device to her temple. Some device that stole her past.

"I don't know who you are, but someday I'll find you," Merida murmured, "I'll take back my memory, or I'll take your life."

Merida left through the open window.


End file.
